Dark Times
by Angel Dove1
Summary: Jou's life is far worst than he can tolerate. What happens when it suddenly turns worse? Will anyone be there to help him through this or will he find a way to end it all? Suicidal thoughts M/M N/C Abuse Warnings in each chapter
1. Chapter 1

I don't know where I'm going with the fic. I haven't written something dark in a long time, but I had the sudden urge to create this. The trouble was finding two characters that would match where I wanted to fic to start. I don't have much written for this story just the first chapter. Let me know what you think. Tell me if it's good enough to continue. I know my fics haven't been as good as the other ones, but I'm trying to recover from hard times like most other Americans so my time has been spent struggling, sleeping, and dreading each day. That's where this one came from. I hope everyone likes this.

Warnings: Again it's a dark fic. This chapter is full of depressing and suicidal thoughts and actions. If this offends you, or you don't like these types of fics please turn away now. It's probably too graphic if you're sensitive to suicidal actions.

* * *

Chapter One

Jou stared at the silver object reflecting off the pale moonlight. It sat on the nightstand several feet away from him. Countless times he attempted to hid it from himself, but he never succeeded. Hugging his legs against his chest, Jou rocked himself back and forth on the moth eaten mattress. Shivers rolled down his body while thoughts of that crimson liquid dripping from his skin plagued his dreams and thoughts. A few tears trickled down his cheeks, freezing against his cold skin. His room felt like a freezer. The cold winter months were the worst in his life. The furnace was never turned on, and the pipes refused to pull water through them, forcing him to find other means to a shower. Jou hated everything about himself and his life. Everything from his long, messy blond hair that he could never cut right to his beat up old fashion clothes that now hung on his thin frame like a blanket. He didn't own any other clothes, but the short sleeve shirts, and the one green jacket that he tried to keep clean. He had one uniform for school, but he refused to wear it anywhere besides school. The school officials would throw him out if he turned up at school with holes in his uniform.

Jou's gaze fell over to the blade once again. Many times he tried to take his life. His arms and ankles had traces of long red marks running along his veins. Pulling on his hair and shaking his head back and forth, Jou fought the urges. He couldn't cut himself tonight. He had a physical tomorrow, and he knew the school doctor would send him to the psychiatrist if he saw them. Crying out in frustration, he threw the dagger across the room. He wanted so badly to feel the cold, stinging sensation of the blade. He wanted to see his red blood flowing from the deep wounds as they twirled along his skin and dripped to the soiled mattress. To feel that tickling sensation as more of his essence drained from his body, Jou sighed and leaned against the cold, dirty wall. Jou knew that the only way he was going to get to sleep tonight would to drain enough of his blood to feel that dizzy, drowsy feeling. Unfortunately, he wasn't blessed with the ability to do that tonight.

He watched the minutes tick on as his alarm clock seemed to take an hour just to change one minute. The door downstairs slammed shut as Jou instantly sat up in his bed. He heard his father slam a case of beer somewhere downstairs. Quietly getting up off the bed, he quietly shut his door, smelling the smoke from his father's cigar climbing its way through the ceiling. Climbing back on the bed, Jou lied down and tried to pull himself in as small of a ball as possible to conserve heat. Tears ran down his cheeks as he figured that their last twenty dollars for the week went to that case of beer instead of the bread Jou wanted. He stomach made a low grumble, knowing that he wouldn't be feeding it tomorrow. That made another day without food. He hated how his school wouldn't provide lunches for free. What good was a school if they didn't take care of the students that went there?

Jou considered many times asking his friends for something to eat, but the pride inside of him refused to submit to that. He didn't know how much longer he would be able to fight the tears and his growling stomach as he sat that the lunch table watching them all eat while he pretended that he wasn't hungry. He remembered a few days ago that Yugi insisted that he eat half his pizza, but that was the last thing Jou remembered eating. His stomach gave that nauseous, painful sensation when it realized that it wasn't going to get the nutritious food it desired and began to eat away at itself. The night continued even without Jou sleeping. He occasionally heard his father throwing a bottle against the wall, crashing into it and spraying glass all over the floor. He made a mental note to wear shoes before walking downstairs tomorrow morning. Jou considering skipping school again in order to use that dagger against his skin, but he didn't have too many more days he could skip before the school held him back a grade. He didn't want his friends to move onto the next grade and leave him behind. Even though Jou had no desire to do anything with his life, he clung to the little comfort his friends had.

Finally the alarm clock chimed six o'clock, forcing Jou to rise from his restless night and over to his closet. He carefully dressed himself, happy that the physical was going to be done today. He didn't know how much longer he could hold off on cutting his arms. It was over a month since he last cut his arms. The exact day that they announced everyone was to be scheduled for a new year physical was the day Jou knew he had to do something to cover up his usual nightly recital. Taking one last look at his arms, the small pink lines looked as if they were from long ago, and the smaller cuts have long since healed. He could easily say he was working on things around the house, and the various cuts were from different times. Rehearsing his story one more time, Jou combed his hair with the broken brush that barely had any teeth left to it. He quietly opened the door and carefully slipped down the steps.

Jou's father was passed out on the couch, the empty beer bottle spilt all over the already stained carpet. A pile of broken glass laid spread out across the far wall. Jou quietly cleaned up the mess and dumped everything into the trashcan before he started the long walk to school. He couldn't afford bus fare, forcing him into the early morning walk every day. Snow blew around him as his warm breath fogged in front of him. Jou had trouble figuring out how his cold body still had enough heat inside of him to make that fog in front of his mouth. It was six thirty before Jou even reached the street that Yugi's house sat on. His fingers felt frozen to his long sleeves, and his legs were numb, but he was used to both of those feelings that it didn't bother him too much any longer.

Yugi waited underneath the small roof keeping the doorway to the game shop dry. He smiled gently at Jou and held up a large jacket. "Someone left this at our shop over a month ago. I had it washed after waiting for awhile. I thought you could use it."

"You didn't purposely hold the jacket from someone just to give it to me did you? I told you that I was fine."

Yugi shook his head. "I wouldn't do that, but Jou, you need something warmer than that jacket."

Jou sighed and moved further down the street. He wrapped the brown jacket around himself instantly feeling the warmth. Yugi walked quietly beside Jou. "Thank you," he quietly whispered.

Yugi finally smiled for a second before turning serious again. "Atemu is worried about you and so are the rest of us. You look tired more lately. Are you sleeping?"

"I've been working late these last few nights."

"I really don't think you should be working all those nights. What about your father? Is he still working?"

"Yeah, he is. I'm just working two nights," Jou lied. His father hadn't work in almost a year, and Jou spend every night and weekend at the small corner shop near his house. Forty hours every week with occasional overtime wasn't enough to keep things going especially with his father wasting all the money on alcohol and cigars. Jou slipped every now and then on the snow starting to gather on the ground. The thin soles of his shoes pulled the cold of the snow through it and directly to his numb feet. Yugi was quiet for the rest of the way to school. Jou barely talked anymore to his friends.

It has been a long time since his sister's operation and Battle City. They found out more and more about the pharaoh residing inside of Yugi every day that passed. Their trip to Egypt wasn't something Jou enjoyed, but it did fascinate him that he knew more about the ex-pharaoh. Atemu was suppose to return to the afterlife, but he wanted to stay with Yugi even if that meant staying forever inside of Yugi. That one selfish thought allowed Atemu to receive enough energy that made him a new body so that he would live out the rest of his life in peace. Atemu now helped Yugi's grandfather with the shop.

The morning classes were uneventful. Jou didn't run into his infamous rival today. Something was off about Kaiba lately. Normally he would show everyday for classes, but now he was attending far less. Jou thought that the billionaire would come in today, but his physical might be scheduled any other day this week. Either way, Jou wondered why he even cared. He hated moneybags. The was to physical come after lunch. Yugi again forced him into eating half of his lunch. He was grateful for his smaller friend, and knew that he would eventually have to swallow his pride and ask for help. His other friends also gave him bits of their lunch. All of which he didn't turn down and felt relieved that his stomach was full again.

The school doctor believe his story when he discovered the long cut marks along his arms. Either that or he didn't want to get involved with a suicidal teenager. It took less than half a hour, and he was back again into his afternoon classes, ignoring them like he usually did. At the end of school, Yugi asked Jou if he wanted to stop by the game shop, but he quietly declined and said that he wanted to get some sleep. He wanted to actually go home and sleep for hours, but he had to work that night. Immediately after leaving school, Jou would have only an hour to get from there down to the small shop and changed into his work uniform. He done this hundreds of time before, but today seemed more of a chore.

After passing Yugi's game shop and saying his goodbyes to his smaller friend, Jou found himself walking alone back to his house. He was a block away from it when he spotted his father standing in the alleyway between his apartment building and the one next to it. He was obviously having a heated conversion with another man. Approaching carefully and quietly, Jou caught the last of the conversion. They were talking about money his father owned this man. Jou cursed under his breath and ran up the stairs to get into his uniform for work. He didn't have time to wait to see what would happen. All he knew was that he was going to be late for work. Work that he cherished more than his life. He needed that job to survive not only by providing money, but by allowing Jou some time away from his father. The longer he stayed out of the house the less likely Jou would be on the receiving end to his father's drunken abuse.

* * *

I hope that chapter was okay. Let me know what you think and if I should continue. While writing the chapter I started thinking of more ideas to go with the story. I'll continue to think, but if no one really likes this story I can stop it. I'm just not confident in my writings lately. I don't know when the next chapter will be. Hopefully soon if I continue. Thank you for reading and your patience. Please review.

Angel Dove


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you all for your kind reviews. I'm happy that people are liking it. I'm sorry that this chapter took a few days, but I was finishing the outline. Suddenly everything started to fall into place with this fic. I only warn that it will continue to get darker before there is some light to the story. I've also decided to make it more than just Jou's story. Jou won't be in this chapter often. I will have him in the next chapter. Anyway I'll keep this going and hopefully it'll be better than the first chapter. It's not as dark.

Warnings: Nightmares to his past that I created, just hints enough to know what happened. Not very graphic but if child abuse/rape upsets you again I ask that you do not read this fic.

* * *

Chapter Two

Kaiba slammed angry against the keyboard before launching it off his desk and watching the fifth one that week being destroy into a million pieces. The loud crash would have alert his assistant if he hadn't sent her home earlier that day. He growled and stormed across the large office over to the large dark window. The night lights faded with the passing snow. Mokuba called shortly after dinner, demanding that he leave work, but Kaiba wasn't anywhere closer to having the schematics for the newest game done. The deadline was at the end of the week, but he couldn't focus on the various codes to make the characters move a certain way. It was his private game something that he wanted to do all himself, but it ended up being more torture than he ever wanted to put himself through.

Kaiba placed his hand against the cold glass window. The world looked so comfortable with various people sleeping snug in their beds, dreaming about various fairytale fantasies that thrill that particular person. His dreams have been disrupted last week. Every time he closed his eyes and saw more and more to the past he tried to forget. The past that he buried deep inside his subconscious mind. It was safer to lie to himself and forget. Flashes of the large bed, the ropes, and chains pushed their way through his barriers. He slammed his fist against the plexiglass hearing the infamous thud of the glass that wouldn't break. Not to mention that it was bullet resent against any sort of attacks that his enemies would attempt.

Sliding his fingers through his messy brown hair, Kaiba moved away from the window and over to the large cabinet by the door. He slid open a small drawer that unlatched a hidden door on the right side and reached inside for one of the various alcohols lined the cabinet. Mokuba knew nothing about the hidden door nor the horrors of his past. He planned on keeping that all locked away until the day he died, but his little brother was in the room during one of his nightmares and heard pieces that he questioned him about later. That was the last time he slept over four days ago. It was normal for him to spend several days and nights wide awake, but this felt like torture on his body. His eyes stung and were clearly red. Every muscle in his body screamed and felt like rocks. His mind was wired, and the large black leather couch looked very comfortable.

He slid his achy body down along couch. Taking another sip of his vodka, Kaiba tilted his head enjoying the fresh buzz. He stared at the loss keyboard on the freshly waxed floor. He knew progress was a lost cause now. Kaiba couldn't even remember what he was trying to do. He felt useless. His game was a failure. He was a failure. Unknown tears trickled down his cheeks. He had no idea why he was crying or could even fathom what was upsetting him. The fatigue was clearing getting to him. He just wanted to sleep even if it was for a few seconds. He craved the sweet sensation of resting his eyes. Kaiba eyed the door checking the lock for the third time tonight. He felt safe enough to go to sleep here. The only fear was Mokuba coming to find him. He smirked as he got up and picked up the pieces to the keyboard. He laid them across the doorway. It should make enough noise to alert him if anyone walked into the room.

Kaiba felt secure in his office. Scratching his head, he dumped the alcohol drink down the sink to his private bathroom. He grabbed his jacket from the coat rake behind his desk and lied down on the couch. He refused to deny himself sleep anymore. Sleep came quickly for the tired billionaire. His cold take-out long since forgotten on the large oak desk. His computer went into screensaver before turning completely black. Kaiba slept breathing deeply, and his face reflected soft features from someone he never had a single stressful event in his life. His finger twitched as a dream plagued his once quiet mind. "You will learn your place, my boy," a voice echoed through his mind.

Kaiba could hear chains rattling as if he was standing right there. "Don't leave me down here!" a younger version of his voice echoed. He could see the scene as if he was standing outside of the small dungeon that the younger him sat in. The floor was dirty and stained with blood and various other elements that he didn't want to think about. His arms were chained against the wall keeping him in a standing position. His body was bare except for a pair of white briefs that his tormenter allowed him to have. Kaiba felt his body shuttering. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to remember what happened. It was horrible enough that he knew bits and pieces to the past, enough to know what his adopted father did to him. He tried to push his mind away from the scene. He didn't want see it.

Kaiba fought the images, but it didn't matter. He saw Gozaburo entering into the cell. "Never talk back to me!" he growled, throwing a bucket of water over the young boy. Kaiba turned away from the scene. He couldn't watch this again. He remembered the freezing water. Suddenly he heard a loud crunch followed by a small voice.

The billionaire jerked awake, looking directly at the worried expression of his brother's face. Concerned that he heard something that he wanted to hide, Kaiba pulled his jacket off himself and walked over to the broken keyboard that was pushed against the wall where the door swung open. "What happened?"

"Frustrated. The game doesn't want to move in the right direction. It's a dud."

"Don't say that. You're really dedicated to this game. You just need a break. How about you go to school, or take a long drive to the country house?"

"Why are you not in school?"

Mokuba sighed and hooked up the spare keyboard that was always in Kaiba's desk drawer. Making the computer come to life, the younger brother saved the progress that Kaiba made the night before and shut the computer down. "My older brother never returned home last night and never ate his dinner." Mokuba sighed and threw the cold food into the small black trashcan beside the desk. "I was worried. You haven't been sleeping. You're loosing weight. I know this doesn't have to do with stress from the game. What are you hiding?"

"Nothing." Kaiba dumped the keyboard in the trashcan.

Mokuba snorted. "If it was truly nothing, you wouldn't have noticed me entering. Seto, what are these dreams about."

Kaiba knew that he wouldn't be able to hide this from his brother for much longer. Now would be a good time as ever to return to school. He hadn't been there in over a month. He was sure that the school would have kicked him out long before than, but he held a position on the school board and set up a plan incase he needed to take various days off to run his business. He knew that he could easily leave that school and take lessons from home, but he liked going to that school. It was a chance for him to leave his world and make-believe that he was a normal teenager. Kaiba entered into his private bathroom and started the shower. "I'm going to school. I suggest you get ready and go as well. Don't wait for me."

The shower was quick and he knew that there was only an hour before school started. Maybe spending a day at school would help him focus on other things besides the horrors his adopted father put him through and that failure of a game. He quickly dressed in his school uniform while he called his car to the front of the building, happy that his brother listened to him and left for school already. Normally he would drive himself, but he felt too tired to drive and didn't want to risk damaging his precious car. Roland didn't talk to Kaiba along the way to school. He knew that if his boss didn't speak first it meant that Kaiba wasn't in an mood. It was difficult watching him fall to whatever was bothering him, but he never pushed Kaiba like Mokuba would. He knew that if the great Seto Kaiba couldn't handle whatever was bothering him, then he would turn to either Mokuba or himself. He only had to silently wait.

Kaiba left the car without even looking back at Roland. He knew that Roland would find something to do until he was finished with school. He walked quietly along the chattering students who long since forgotten his presence. After the first year of staring students, they all learned that he was no different that one of them. Kaiba walked up the three flights of stairs to his homeroom class. Ahead of him he could see Yugi and his gang of friends putting their jackets away. Jou wore a brown jacket he never seen him with before. Sighing in relief that his rival was no longer freezing to death in the cold winter wearing nothing but his school uniform, Kaiba smirked to himself about his well laid out plan a month ago. He knew that Yugi wouldn't know the kid that shopped for new cards, nor would he figure out that the jacket was planted on purpose. It was good that Yugi also noticed Jou's unfortunate situation and gave him the unclaimed jacket .

Kaiba shook his head and entered into the classroom. He didn't understand why he had the sudden urges to help the only person he thought he hated nearly as much as Gozaburo. Something inside of him said that he never really hated Jou. The gang walked into the room, and that's when Kaiba noticed for the first time how much weight Jou was losing. It made him wonder what was really going on in Jou's life. Making a mental note to find out, Kaiba switched his focus onto the teacher instead of Jou. The one thing that Kaiba hated more than puzzles was something happening that he didn't know about. He growled lowly and gripped his pen tighter. Why did he care what was happening in Jou's life? Jou never showed any sympathy to him.

Kaiba snuck another glance over at Jou. Besides the clear signs of Jou losing weight, there was also the dark circles under his eyes that would mirror his own. Jou wasn't sleeping either. He was pale as well. That could easily be because of his lack of nutrients, but it seemed strange. What was happening in his private life? He knew that Jou was poor, but he thought he had family that would at least feed him. It looked as if he wasn't eating either by choice or someone was holding it away from him. Kaiba found it difficult focusing on any of his classes for the rest of the day, but gratefully he didn't think about Gozaburo or the game that sat forgotten in his office. Something else was occupying his mind now.

* * *

There we go. I hope that was okay. Let me know if they are going too far out of character. I wanted to keep them mostly in character put with a slight of twist so that they would work in this story. Thank you all for reading. Please review.

Angel Dove


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you all again for the reviews. I'm happy that everything is going so well with this story. I'm starting to feel better about writing and the chapters are flowing much better now. Better for me because I've been unable to come up with fics for so long. Good for all of you because I'm updating this story quickly. So along that line let's move this chapter along then.

Warnings: I have a lot. Abuse, suicidal thoughts, rape, kidnapping, fowl language. If any of this bothers you this is the last time to turn back. Again this is a very dark fic it will only get worse before it shows anything lighter which will be after the next chapter. This one is the worst chapter.

* * *

Chapter Three

Jou washed his hands in the bathroom sink before exiting the shop for the night. It was way pass midnight and the next shift didn't show up. The manager didn't want to be left alone in the shop so she asked him to stay. Jou could have easily declined, but he was never one to say no to anyone. Plus if anything happened to her he would feel horrible. It was true that he didn't live in the greatest neighborhood and robberies were often. His manager was a wonderful woman and treated him like he imagined a mother would. Jou passed her on the way out after someone managed to come in and relieve him. She smiled sweetly to him and told him to be careful. Jou waved nonchalantly at her and exited into the cold night.

Jou wrapped his new brown jacket around himself. The warmth from the jacket made walking home in the freezing cold easier. Snow began to fall and was already up to his ankles. It made it more difficult to walk in his thin shoes, but he managed just like every other winter. The streets were dark and left a very eerie feeling in the back of Jou's head. The street lights barely illuminated his way back to his apartment. He traveled slowly along the sidewalk, slipping every now and then but able to keep his balance. Jou rounded the corner to his street when something jump out from the shadow and grabbed him. The person pulled his arms behind his back and slammed his body against the side of the house. Jou was about to say something when a hand came up and place it over his mouth. "Do what I say, and you may come out of this with all your body parts intact."

The hand was removed from his mouth before he felt a cold metal object was placed against the side of his head. Jou didn't say anything. He had no idea who this person was or why he would want him. His body shivered from fear instead of the intense cold he was feeling. What could this man want from him? He heard of many things happening to people late at night. He cursed his rotten luck for being so nice to his manager and for not walking faster to get to his apartment. The man pulled him back around the corner and threw him into the black van that he didn't notice before. The door slammed shut, sealing Jou into whatever fate had in store for him. The trip was bumpy, and it was difficult to keep himself seated in one spot. The van turned randomly also making it difficult to keep track of which direction they were going. He feared what these people would do to him. Wondered if anyone would find him if they killed him. Who would come to his funeral?

Jou thought of killing himself many times before, but he never considered someone else may be the reason for his death. It sickened him that the one thing he wanted more than anything may be delivered by this mystery person. The van stopped suddenly and the door swung open quickly. Four arms reached in and grabbed his legs, knocking him off balance. His head slammed into the side of the van, causing him to groan and released a few swear words. They dragged him into a nearby house that was completely dark. Not even a street light shined on it. It obviously made it easier to sink in and out of the house. They pulled him in. His feet dragged along the splintered floor, tearing wholes into his shoes from the loosen nails. One of the nails cut into the heel of his foot before they dragged him down to the basement. His knees banged noisily against each step before they threw him painfully against the cold stone wall.

He quickly got to his feet and turned around just in time to see one man walking up the stairs in the dim light. The other man approached him. Jou instantly knew who he was. "You were with my dad tonight."

The black haired man smirked and continued his slow walk over to Jou. "Smart kid I see. Your old man owes me some money."

Jou continued to move to different parts of the basement. He didn't want to be close to the man. "I get paid at the end of the week."

The man laughed and shook his head. "Naïve little boy. A weeks minimum wage will not cover what your father owes me."

"We have no other money."

The man moved quickly and grabbed Jou by the hair, yanking it back. "You better hope your father has something to save you with. I wouldn't want to be in your shoes if he doesn't." That man banged Jou's head against the wall, watching him fall to the ground. "If not, I'll make a fortune selling you."

Jou woke a few hours later, freezing and with a throbbing headache. No one came down to check on him for several hours or even days. Jou tried countless times to find a way out, but he didn't trust what was on the other side of the basement door. He just finished another lap around the basement when the door opened and a very angered man walked down. Fearing that something was going to happened, Jou back against the wall, spotting a bat in the man's hand. "Where is your father hiding?"

Shocked that his father would leave him, Jou shook his head. "I don't know."

The man slammed the bat into Jou's stomach. He doubled over and coughed. "Some father you have. We sent him a message telling him to come with the money to save your life, and he runs away. Clearly he doesn't give a shit about you. I want my money." He picked Jou up off the floor and slammed him into the wall. "I have a few buyers that would love to have a piece of your ass." The man grabbed Jou's hips and grinded himself into him. Jou gasped and attempted to fight his way away from the man, but the man tightened his hold on him and pulled a gun out of his pocket. He turned Jou around and pointed it directly at him. "Take you clothes off."

Jou glared at him. "You have to kill me first." Jou didn't care about his life any longer. He knew that he was never going to submit to this man's demands. It was bad enough that his father skipped out of town. He had nothing else to lose. He was never going to be any person's whore. He'd die by his own hands or the hands of this man in front of him. A loud bang sounded through the basement and a bullet lodged itself into the wall to the left of Jou's face. His body shook from the sudden noise, but he still refused to do what he was told.

The man rolled his eyes and picked the bat back up. He slammed it against Jou's head and watched him collapse to the ground. He grabbed the chains from under the stairs and hooked Jou's arms behind his back. Jou groaned and kicked at the man attempting to pull his pants off. He managed to land a few blows on his captor's stomach before Jou's pants were pulled off. The man pressed his entire weight down on Jou's waist. He leaned down to Jou's ear and whispered gently into it, "Do you know the price for you? I'll get a few thousands dollars just for your gender and hair color not to mention how much I'll get for you not being trained." He pushed a finger inside of Jou, causing the teenager to whimper involuntarily. The man moaned in delight. "A virgin I see. I've seen a virgin going for a billion dollar, but unfortunately I don't need that kind of money. I'd get more pleasure being your first than selling your first." The man straightened up and removed his finger from Jou's entrance. "And when we find your father, I'll take the pleasure in telling him all about this before I kill him."

Jou closed his eyes shut and squeezed his fingers into a fist. He knew what was going to happen, and he couldn't do anything to stop it. He felt uselessly and wanted nothing more than to die. Within seconds he felt intense pain shooting from his spine. He screamed unable to ignore the pain. The man thrust in and out of Jou faster than he could comprehend. His mind completely shut down, and he saw nothing but the dirt filled floor. He could smell and feel blood flowing down his legs. The pain was too much for him, and he found himself drifting quickly into the unconscious world, but for some odd reason, his body wouldn't allow him that safe place. It wanted him to feel all this pain. All the humiliation as this person raped him over money that his father must have borrowed to supply his drinking habit. Everything felt at a lose. He didn't care about his life anymore. He didn't care who would find his body or even who would come to his funeral if he had one at all. He wondered how long it would take his friends to notice that he wasn't coming back to school and to start looking for him. He wished he had another half that he could communicate with like Yugi had Atemu. At least by having that he had some hope that someone would come and save him from this nightmare that he knew he would have to live through.

He felt his captor stiffen before he released deep inside of his body, stinging the open wounds. He laughed and got up, kicking Jou in the side. "Get used to that, bitch. You'd be lying on your back a lot for the rest of your life." His captor picked up Jou's pants and used them to wipe himself off on it. His work uniform now had smears of his blood and the man's semen along the cloth. Jou cried quietly as he curled up in on himself. The captor exited through the basement door without saying anything more. Jou stared at the thin line of dust over the floor.

"Bitch," Jou whispered. "Another name for a female dog." Jou frowned and smeared a word into the floor. He stared at the word for the longest time fighting the urges to wipe it away. He smiled weakly at the word and imagined the basement door bursting opened while his friends ran to his side, helping him up from the floor. "Kaiba," Jou whispered before taking the last bit of his energy to erase Kaiba's name from the floor. He knew it was impossible for Kaiba to be his knight in shinning armor. He just didn't understand why he wanted Kaiba to be the one that rescued him. Maybe Kaiba wasn't as bad a he thought he was. Maybe Yugi would turn to him to help locate Jou and would rush in to help him. His mind collapsed into the unconscious world with visions of Kaiba walking through the hallways of the school.

* * *

Well that took a little while to write. I had to keep stopping just to get back on track again. Oh well it's written now. Thank you all for reading please review. I should have the next chapter up soon.

Angel Dove


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you so much for your kind reviews. I'm so sorry that this wasn't up the very next day, but with Easter coming, I'm having trouble leaving work on time and when I do I fall asleep the second I get home. So please forgive me. I'm going to make this short and simple and start right away. I hope I'm not moving this along too slow. It feels like the right pace to me, but like always I'm losing confidence in myself. I'm going back to Seto again this chapter and Jou will come halfway through it. I hope I'm not disappointing anyone, moving back and forth like this.

Warning: Slavery, profanity.

* * *

Chapter Four

Kaiba felt like a person lost along a wave. Drifting further out along the sea to never touch land again. He wondered if anything that he did was worth the struggle. Mokuba still questioned him aimlessly about what was going on inside of his mind. Kaiba drummed his fingers along the new keyboard in his office. A bottle of whiskey sat next to him. The more he drank the more he could focus on the game. Everything seemed to be moving faster. His thoughts clearer. His eyes focused even if they were blood shot, and occasionally he did see double. He could see the ending of the game nearing. One by one each of the elements fell into place. Kaiba finished the dialogue long before he started drinking, leaving only the ending battle to map. He finished the last program and hit the save button. Taking a big sigh, Kaiba smiled for the first time in several days. The game was finished. He glanced up at the clock sitting directly above his doorway. Nine o'clock. It was still early, and he thought he had time to celebrate. Of course normally Kaiba would be surfing through his lists of names for the girl he wanted to take out, but Kaiba oddly enough found himself wanting to be alone. Alone and mysterious. He passed the temptation of going to his usual bar and having everyone staring at him. He wanted something new. Something exciting.

Rising from his seat, Kaiba moved into his private bath to take a quick shower after dropping his bottle of whiskey back in the hidden compartment. He found himself thinking back at school. It had been three days since he saw Jou. His friends were beginning to worry and talked about visiting Jou's house after school that day. He wondered what happened to Jou. Shaking his head rapidly, as he undressed and stepped into the steaming water, Kaiba attempted to banish Jou from his mind. Why should he care what happened to that mutt? Jou never did anything to deserve his care. Plus if his friends were truly worried he was sure Yugi would have stopped by his office by now. Yugi, being small and shy, never was one to let someone be. Kaiba knew that the smaller duelist wouldn't bat an eyelash over asking Kaiba for help. But, that didn't stop the uneasy feeling that he had buried deep in his gut. Something didn't feel right. He knew that Jou would not show for one day here and there, and the next day he'd show up with bruises, but Kaiba never saw him missing more than one day. Kaiba ignored the fact that Jou wasn't in school for the second day, but still passed his house on the way home just to make sure it was still standing there.

Today, though, Kaiba was nervous for a reason he couldn't explain. He even sent Roland to the house to check on Jou, but no one answered. Sighing, Kaiba decided to let fate play her game and dressed himself for a night out. He needed to do things to clear his head, celebrate the completion of his game, and try to rid Jou and Gozaburo from his thoughts. After making a quick call to Roland and Mokuba, Kaiba walked out of his office. The night air was warming then it had been with no snow blowing around. It still was freezing, but at least the temperatures were above thirty today. Kaiba found himself walking several blocks away from his tower in order to find somewhere that he could hid his face in. Turning a few corners and walking through the slush left over from last night's storm, Kaiba discovered that he didn't know where he was. The environment screamed danger. Broken beer bottles and empty cardboard boxes laid randomly along the sides of buildings. Very few people were walking the streets, and they all held their heads down, passing him quickly as if he didn't exist. Kaiba ignored them as well, focusing only on the buildings.

Several blocks down that street Kaiba found himself staring at a run down bar with blaring music coming from all around it. He didn't know how the surrounding buildings could stand the blaring music. Kaiba approached the tall dark haired main. He looked like he could lift a car and still be able to fight people around him. Kaiba didn't know what intrigued him about this club, but he wanted to get in. Taking out his wallet, he flashed the guard five one hundred dollar bills that he usually kept locked away in his office unless he wanted to go out. The guard stared at it but never reached for the money. "I hear the merchandise is beautiful tonight. Enjoy," the guard commented as if that was the signal to get into the club.

Confused, but not objecting, Kaiba walked into the loud nightclub. Smoked filled the room like an odd fog that never crept any further than the spot it sat at. The stage at the back of the room was dark, but movement from behind the curtains caused them to sway in the wind. Kaiba approached the bar and order a vodka on the rocks before turning around and staring at the random people around the club. He saw several people he thought he recognized, but couldn't quite remember their names. A man approached him and handed him a plain card. "Name."

"Seth." Kaiba knew never to gave his real name. He knew better.

The man seemed satisfied with that and wrote it down on a notepad that he was carrying. Staring down at the paper with a number on it, Kaiba wondered what type of bar this was. He took a sip of his drink and slouched back feeling the buzz starting back up again. The cold walked sobered him up from his first few drinks at the office, but now he was feeling it again. Becoming more at ease, he stared at the stage that suddenly lit. The curtain drew back and a thin man with blond hair stood in the center, holding a microphone. He spoke slowly into the microphone. "Tonight is a real treat for all you. We'll start with the usual and then the main prize later on." An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of Kaiba's stomach. He seriously didn't want to be here at this moment. One person after another was brought on stage. They barely wore any clothes and were sold to the highest bid. Each one of them had dead eyes. No fighting spirit left inside of them. Whatever these people did to these poor individuals was enough to make them no longer want to fight back.

Kaiba became even more repulsed as he saw one of the men taking advantage of a girl he just purchased right in front of everyone. Holding the bile in his stomach, Kaiba threw his drink down on the bar and started to walk out when the announcer returned to the stage. "And now the final prize for tonight. He is yours to train. Only taken once in his life. Beautiful, strong, blond, teenager, and male. The bid will start at five hundred thousand dollars. The one who purchase this wonderful prize may have some difficulty training him, but enjoy his high spirits while you have a chance." Kaiba's mouth dried as he stood near the exit. Standing on stage wearing nothing but a pair of white briefs was Jou. He struggled against the chains that secured his arms behind his back. Unable to move or even come to a conclusion, he glanced around the room as the announcer started the bidding. An overweight gentleman held his card up as he rub himself provocatively. The mere motion made Kaiba gag. He wouldn't wish that misery even on Gozaburo even though he delivered it quite often to Kaiba. Another taller man was fighting with the other over bids. Judging by the fact that neither of them held large suitcases of money beside them, Kaiba had a chance to save Jou.

Kaiba moved forward and towards the shadows to remain hidden from most eyes. When the bid turned to one million dollars, he knew that he had to get into this fast. Holding up his card, he started with the one million dollar bid. A sudden thought strayed into his mind. The announcer said he was only taking once. Frowning, Kaiba cursed himself for not searching for Jou sooner. He could have saved Jou from what he knew happened judging by the awkward way Jou was standing and the bruises lining his skin. Tired of the cat and mouse game, Kaiba raised his card high enough so everyone could see. "One billion dollars," he shouted with his stern voice even though he felt shaky on the inside.

All voices fell silent and no one moved besides their eyes staring at him. The announcer cleared his throat. "Any other bids." When silence continued to fall along the room, the announcer award Jou to Kaiba. He moved over to the gentleman standing on the left side of the stage while they pulled Jou off with his gazed firmly planted to the floor. Kaiba felt horrible causing Jou to feel that way, but he had no choice. He had to sneak him out of there before they realized that Kaiba and Jou knew each other.

"How much to you want up front?"

"All of it tonight. Call your holder."

"Understood." Kaiba moved away from the man and stood in a dark corner. Even though he didn't quite know what a holder was, he assumed it had to be the person that held the money. It would explained why no one had money near them. He dialed a number quickly waiting only a second before Roland picked up. "Bring one billion dollars to the location on my cell and several blankets. We have a situation."

"Right away, Mr. Kaiba." Kaiba nodded to the man and left his phone on so that Roland can locate him. Unfortunately, Kaiba had no clue where he was.

"I wish to examine my prize in private while we wait for my holder." The man nodded and motioned for a large red head. The tall man was slightly built, but obviously wouldn't be a match for Kaiba by the way he stumbled slightly in his step. His balance wasn't the best and would be easy to sweep him off his feet if needed. After walking through several doors, the man finally opened the door to where they were holding Jou. He knelt on the ground facing the wall. His head was bowed and his shoulder were slumped. "Jou," he whispered.

Instantly Jou's head shot up and he looked back at Kaiba. "What are you doing here?"

"Collecting my prize."

"You piece of shit I should have known you were into something like this."

Kaiba growled and glared. "Wrong place at the right time. If it weren't for me, you'd be sitting on that fat fuck's lap right about now. Show some appreciation."

"I didn't ask for your help."

Shaking his head, Kaiba moved over to the door and leaned against it to prevent anyone from opening it on them. "Will you cooperate with me for a few minutes? As soon as we get out of this club you can go about your life as you wish."

Jou turned his back to him. "What life? I have no life."

Kaiba frowned. He didn't know what to make of it. He knew Jou would be depressed about what happened, but something felt worse. "What happened?"

"Why do you care?"

"Tell me."

"My father abandoned me to these loan sharks. You just paid his loan off with interest." Kaiba's phone beeped once, silencing Jou's rampage.

"Roland is here. I'm going to get you out of here. I promise." Kaiba left the room before Jou could say more and entered back into the nightclub where the music started blaring again. He delivered his money to the men before leading Jou out of the club by a leash. No one questioned him and Jou didn't put up a struggle. The instant he got into Kaiba's limo, Kaiba threw a blanket at him and unlocked the leash. "Sorry," he apologized before moving over to the other side of the limo. "Jou?" Kaiba looked up, realizing that his rival was slouched against the door. "What's wrong?"

"Don't feel so good. Bad headache." Jou hissed from the pain and could barely keep himself on the seat as the limo turned corners.

Pushing a button on the door, Kaiba got in contact with Roland. "Call for a doctor. Have him waiting at the mansion."

"Will do, Mr. Kaiba."

Kaiba moved over to Jou and wrapped the blanket tighter around him. "Hold on. They must have drugged you." Watching sweat appear on Jou's forehead, he took out his handkerchief to wipe it away. He was worried that the drug would kill Jou. Biting his lower lip nervously, Kaiba did all he could to keep the shivering teenager warm.

* * *

Wow that was one heck of a chapter. I started it two days ago and only got to the end today. Obviously my mind kept swaying from this. Anyway. Thank you for reading please review

Angel Dove


	5. Chapter 5

I'm sorry that this took some time to put together. Oddly enough I've been suffering from some extreme headaches. I've had headaches before but not consistent like these have been doing. So I had to handwrite most of this chapter and of course like always when I handwrite, I rewrite constantly and change it over and over again LOL. So, now I've finally settled on this little chapter. It didn't seem to feel like it flowed right. I don't know why. Maybe it had something to do with the headaches. Who knows. But, anyway. I'm going to get started and stop wasting time complaining about things I don't control.

Warnings: profanity

* * *

Chapter Five

Kaiba paced outside of his guest room while the doctor remained locked inside examining Jou from head to toe. It felt strange that he actually cared about what was happening to his rival. Biting his lower lip, Kaiba craved a cold drink more and more by the second. Mokuba was thankfully sound asleep when he dragged Jou into the house. He knew that nothing would wake his brother, but still playing it cautious, he moved Jou into the guest room opposite where Mokuba and Kaiba's room lied. Roland sat on the chair he dragged from the dinning room. He didn't know whether to feel delight that Kaiba was finally caring for someone else or worry that this particular event would set his employer further over the deep end. He knew about Kaiba's heavy drink, but never did anything to stop it. He tried once only to have a full bottle of vodka thrust at his head. Kaiba stumbled a bit in his pace which brought Roland from his thoughts. "Sure you don't want to sit down, Mr. Kaiba."

Kaiba turned and glared at him, but said nothing more. Roland rolled his eyes and slouched in the chair. He didn't know what was taking the doctor so long. It was almost two hours since he went in. Kaiba slammed his fist against the wall before slipping down and sitting on the floor. Roland rose, but instantly sat back down, knowing better than to question the young Kaiba anymore than he had to. Obviously the alcohol was wearing off making him more anxious. Suddenly the door opened, Kaiba instantly stood. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Mr. Kaiba," the doctor mumbled. "Isn't it polite to offering a guest a drink before you question him? Mr. Jounouchi needs rest."

Kaiba grunted and walked down the long corridor leading towards his living room. Random paintings hung on the wall, but nothing seemed to represent Kaiba's dark past nor the good nature that Kaiba's servants saw in him when no one was around their young employer. Placing a bottle and three glasses down on the glass table in front of the large blue couch. He poured scotch into the glasses and handed one to Roland and the doctor before downing his in two seconds. "Speak."

The doctor chuckled. "You don't scare me, Seto, so stop trying. I've seen a lot of things through my years. Your body after Gozaburo used you as a whore and a punching bag was nothing compared to the shape Mr. Jounouchi was in. It sickens me that humans can be that cruel to their fellow men." A cold hand reached into Kaiba's chest and squeezed on his heart. Could Jou be far worse than he expected? Seeing the fear in Kaiba's eyes, the doctor continued on. "He'll be fine with rest, but I don't know what his mental state would be like. I'm going to take it from the top, but if I notice you can't handle it, I'm not going to tell you anymore." The doctor pulled out his notes and skimmed through it. "Mr. Jounouchi has malnutrition. In fact, he was so thin that when they were beating him, they broke a few of his ribs and fractured his wrist. His body temperature is way below normal, but luckily we got to him in time. I managed to save his toes and fingers. A few more days in the extreme cold he would have frost bite. Of course you know about the bruises and cuts. He lost a lot of blood, but his body has been replacing it slowly. You're friend is a fighter. I've seen men with less injuries than him fall down and die."

The doctor watched every expression on Kaiba. Clearly something was bother the young man, but the doctor wasn't going to push it any further. The shock of hearing Jou's injuries was going to be hard on Kaiba as it was. "Anyway back to his injuries. The most extreme case is his anal. I don't know what happened to him whether he was raped by someone's penis or a solid object or both, but his insides are torn, and they hit a few vessels inside. They left him to bleed to the point where it scabbed over. Again, I admire your friend. You said he walked out of that club. I don't know how. He must have been in extreme pain. And last but not least, they pumped him full of two types of drugs, but since he's thin and with no food in his stomach, it's going to take longer to rid his system fully of the drugs. The drugs will making him delusional and well basically ready for sex. That's all his injuries now I'm going to tell you what I did and what you need to do." Kaiba looked white as snow, but the doctor continued on. "I have him hocked to an IV to help his body get the nutrients that he needs. I also gave him something that will help him counteract the drug, but as long as that's in his system I can't give him any painkillers."

Handing Kaiba a bottle, the doctor continued to explain. "Tomorrow he might start to come around. Fill the needle up to this point and inject that into his IV. It'll help him with the pain. I wrapped his ribs and wrist, but try to keep him resting as long as possible." The doctor rose and stretched. "Oh, and Seto, I don't know what you're relationship is with him, but maybe you should show him the kind boy we all know you are. Remember he might be scared, angry, and depressed. Just remember how you were when you recovered from Gozaburo. You may be the only person that will truly understand him. Help him, Seto." Kaiba nodded and escorted the doctor out. Kaiba frowned and looked back at Roland after shutting the door.

"I'll be staying with Jou tonight. Make sure Mokuba is up for school and take him. Then call my school and inform them that Jou and I will not be in, but don't tell them what happened to Jou." Kaiba continued down the long hallway. "Oh and tell Mokuba I left early for work to finish the game. Roland, find these people that did that to Jou. I want to have a personal face to face with them," he growled before entering into the guest bedroom. Jou lied underneath the black blanket. His arms were placed gently beside his thin body. His skin pale. Kaiba felt a twinge of guilt run through his skin. Reaching over to his bed, Kaiba grabbed the phone that sat there. Dialing a number he never thought he would remember, he waited patiently while he pulled a chair up to sit next to the bed.

A deep voiced answered with a yawn, "Motou residence."

"Atemu."

"This is a surprise. I guess you like waking people from their slumber when you cannot sleep yourself."

"I didn't call to exchange angry words with you."

"Oh so you suddenly had a heart. Well thank you for that bit of information I will be returning to sleep now."

"It's about Jou."

Silence fell over the conversation. "What about Jou?"

"I found him I really don't think I should be the one to tell you what happened to him. Just know that he's going to be okay, and you don't have to search for him anymore."

"Kaiba, you know full well that even Yugi wouldn't settle for that and he trusts you."

Kaiba swallowed nervously. "I really don't want to tell you something that Jou would wish you didn't know. He probably won't be in school for a couple days. I just didn't want you guys to worry and go searching for him."

Atemu thought for awhile before sighing. "Alright, but if Yugi suddenly shows up at your house do not blame me."

"Alright. Thanks, Atemu," Kaiba found himself saying even before he realized how out of character that sounded to him. To hide that, he quickly hung up and leaned forward on the chair. Kaiba stared at Jou for a few minutes before leaning back against the chair. He didn't think he'd be able to sleep that night, but for some odd reason, Kaiba fell asleep without any sort of trouble.

Several days went by with Jou coming in and out of consciousness, and Kaiba fighting off Yugi who wanted to see Jou. The doctor came and went, becoming pleased with Jou's healing rate. Kaiba barely left Jou's side except for bathroom breaks and showers. His food was brought up to him even though he barely ate it. Mokuba already knew about Jou and grew angry that someone would do that to him and frustrated with himself for not noticing earlier. "Seto, his father starved him and obviously abandoned him. You're not going to abandoned him too?"

"Mokuba, what type of person do you think I am?"

"An arrogant prick," Jou mumbled as he moved on the bed.

"Why don't you tell me how you truly feel, Mutt? Show some appreciation for the man that saved your life."

"Fuck you."

Kaiba closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Mokuba, go play a video game."

"But…"

"No buts. Go." After Mokuba left and shut the door, Kaiba took his usual seat next to the bed. "The doctor said to relax for a few more weeks."

Jou growled and sat up even against Kaiba's protests. "Look, thanks for the help, but I don't need you to babysit or lick my wounds. I need to get home."

"You can't."

"And why not? Never mind. I see how you really are. So, Mr. Kaiba, what should I do first. Clean you floor with a toothbrush. I'm sure it'll take me several months to clean every floor in this mansion."

"I didn't mean it that way."

"Then why do you care what happens to me?" Jou ripped the IV out of his arm and threw the blankets off him. "I don't need to be indebted to you anymore than I already am. Look it'll take me several years, but I'll pay you all back."

"I don't want you to pay me back."

Jou grabbed his clothes that he spotted sitting on the dresser. "Thanks for your hospitality, but I'm going home."

"If you do, you'll be walking right back into their hands. Stay here until they forget about you."

"You think you know everything don't you. You know nothing. These people don't just forget about you. They don't just ignore you once they have finished their business with you. The only time they would even think to look the other way is when someone comes back with their money. Even then that's not guaranteed to keep them off your back. You may be a genius, but you know nothing about street logic."

Kaiba grabbed him and pushed him up against the wall, minding his injuries. "I know enough to understand that if you walk back to your house, you'll die. Even though right about know I don't care what you do, but you need to think about how your friends would feel losing you."

"That is my decision not yours." Jou pushed by Kaiba and walked out of the door, ignoring Kaiba's protests. He slipped his jacket on and continued down the street, not sure where he was going or even how to get back home. It took him several hours to get back home, but he did. He went up the long stairs, butterflies in his stomach. He wasn't sure how his father would react to him appearing out of nowhere or even if his father was alive behind that door. He went to put his key in the slot when he noticed a large metal padlock sealing it shut. Apparently his landlord kicked him out. Sighing, Jou moved away from the place he once called home and went down the street to his work. If he couldn't sleep at home, maybe he could work the rest of the night. His body was sore and ached, but that wasn't anything compared to what he normally felt. He coughed and felt moisture rolling down his cheek. Wiping it away with the back of his hand, Jou noticed it was blood. Sighing, Jou entered into the store, cleaning the blood off his hand and chin.

His manager noticed him first. "Jou?"

"I'm sorry that I haven't been here in so long."

She frowned. "Jou, I…look the policy is that if you don't show or call for three days in a row you are automatically terminated."

Jou nodded. "It's okay. Thanks for everything." He didn't feel like arguing or even telling her that it wasn't his fault. He felt too tired and was in too much pain.

"Jou, I'm really sorry, but I'm happy that you're okay." Jou smiled and walked back out of the door. He kept the smile on his face until he was far enough away from the store. He slumped his shoulders and walked off to a nearby park. Everything went to hell and back in a mere few days. His dad was gone. He had to keep a low profile for the next few years. He owed Kaiba more money they you could think of having in a life time. He was homeless. Jou sat on a bench, staring up at the stars. He finally let the tears that have been threatening to fall for several hours now slip down his cheeks. And, the worst of it all, he was no longer a virgin, and he had to live with that for the rest of his life. A life he was willing to end now. The earlier attempts were just cries for attention. He couldn't bring himself to cutting deep enough to end his life even though he thought he wanted that. He knew that. But, this time felt different. He rose and started looking through the trashcan near him. He found a glass bottle and broke it against the bench, making a sharp corner. He had nothing left.

* * *

Sorry for the cliffhanger. I promise to get the next chapter out as soon as possible. Thank you for reading. Please review.

Angel Dove


	6. Chapter 6

Alright. Time for another chapter. I'm starting to get this going a little faster. I hope I didn't lose anyone along the way. I had to switch my outline slightly, but I fixed it so that it lines up again. Thank you for all your kind reviews. I'm happy that some people are enjoying this. I want to apologize if I confused anyone during the last chapter. I know I've been leaving subtle hints about Kaiba's past and now during this chapter it'll finally be out. I'm sure you've all guessed. LOL I'm not very good at hiding things. Anyway let's get this chapter moving. This will be a mostly dialogue chapter so if I did it right, it'll move faster. Not much description.

Warning: Suicide attempt and Retelling of child abuse and rape nothing is detailed.

* * *

Chapter Six

Kaiba growled in frustration as he stared at the large padlock over the handle of Jou's apartment door. Jou was going to become more and more uneasy. He couldn't get into his house. Not to mention that he might have found out that his father was dead, and he highly didn't expected Jou's job to stay intact. He stared about the run down neighborhood, wondering where Jou would find his peaceful place. Seto stood by his white Porsche thinking everything over. He didn't know too much about Jou in order to figure out where he would be. Flipping his cell open, Kaiba dialed the only number he could think of. Night had fallen too quickly, and he knew he didn't have long until Jou crossed the line. "Motou residence."

"Atemu, do you always answer the phone."

"I wish not to exchange sparring words with you this late at night, but at least it is not early in the morning this time. What is it you want, Kaiba?"

"I need to speak with Yugi."

"He is not here right at this moment."

Kaiba slammed his hand against the car door. "How much do you know about Jou?"

"Enough, I suppose. What is going on?"

"If Jou was to need privacy and didn't want to go home, where would he go?"

"Kaiba, I do not understand."

"Just answer the damn question, Pharaoh."

"There is a park near his house. I suppose he would go there. Kaiba, tell me what is going…" before Atemu could say more, Kaiba shut his cell off and jumped into the car. After driving blind for several miles, he managed to find the park several blocks from Jou's apartment. Several times, Atemu tried to call Kaiba back, but he ignored it.

The park wasn't what you would expect to sit in the heart of a run down neighborhood. A large fountain stood in the center of the park. A statue of cupid readying his arrow to fire was at the very top, cascading water down the whole stone fountain with glittering red stones in elegant leaf designs around the base. Rose bushes surrounded the fountain and not a single piece of litter lined any place. The neighborhood clearly thought highly of this park. He began to feel peaceful as the sweet smell of various flowers swayed in the wind. Kaiba stood on the fountain and scanned the area. He had to find a place that would be quiet and barely anyone would notice. Jou would more likely be hiding. Or at least that was what he did all those years ago.

Spotting a dark figure on a bench in the far back of the park just behind a tree, Kaiba jumped off the fountain, silently praying that if the figure was Jou that he wasn't too late. He breathed a sigh of relief when recognized the familiar blond locks. He stopped cold when he notice a broken bottle lined with blood. Reaching in for his cell, Kaiba dialed Roland. "Get the doctor to the house right away." He snapped the cell shut and gently picked Jou up. The blood dried around the long cuts on Jou's wrists. "Jou, you stupid mutt." He moved quickly to his car and loaded the lifeless blond into it. Jou gave an involuntary moan, confirming that he was still aware of his surroundings even though he was unconscious. Kaiba untied his tie and wrapped it around Jou's wrists to prevent any more bleeding that might start back up again with his ride home.

Taking turns quickly and using his V8 engine to return to the mansion, Kaiba pulled into his driveway fifteen minutes later. The doctor was waiting outside as Kaiba quickly walked into the living room and set Jou down on the couch. "Not here. It'll be difficult to treat him."

"Doctor, he's not going to last much longer."

The doctor sighed and assessed the damage. "I'm going to need some warm water and my bag. I left it upstairs in Mr. Jounouchi's room." Kaiba nodded and stated upstairs to retrieve the bag while Roland went to the kitchen for water. When Kaiba got back, Jou's arms were completely washed. The long cuts were ridged. The doctor reached into the bag and started stitching the skin closed. Once finished, he looked up at Kaiba. "Am I to guess that he knows about his father?"

"I'm not sure," Kaiba answered quietly. "He knows about his house and more likely his job. I can't help him. It's…" Kaiba sighed and walked over to his cabinet for a drink.

"I know it's difficult. Right about now you're probably seeing the past through him. Seto, he needs help and you know as well as I do that psychiatrists aren't the best solution."

"Four months."

"What?"

"I've been having these horrific nightmares for four months. I remember the bruises, the pain, the humiliation, but I've never remembered it in great detail. What did he do to me before I tried to kill myself? Are these dreams for real?"

The doctor frowned and walked over to Kaiba. He took the drink and set it down on the table. Wrapping his arms around him, he held Kaiba close. "What happened four months ago that triggered your relapsed memory?"

"I don't know. It couldn't be the stress from the game. I was already halfway through it by then." Kaiba looked back down at Jou. "It must have been him. That was the first time I noticed how thin Jou was getting and the dark circles under his eyes. That was when I had my first nightmare. I was locked in a dark room. I felt something crawling along my feet and smelt stale food. I checked into Jou's financial records that day as well."

The doctor looked up at Roland. "Can you get some blankets for Mr. Jounouchi?" After Roland left, he turned back to the billionaire. "Like I told you before. What Gozaburo did to you was horrible and better locked in the back of your mind. They may surface more as you help Mr. Jounouchi through his tortures."

"Why me? He has other friends that he trust better than me."

"Have they went through anything like what you and him went through?"

"I don't know. But, you said that the first rule is to find someone you trust. Him and I do not share the trust that you and I have. He'll never talk about it to me."

"Give him something first to establish the trust."

"I can't do that."

"Seto, do you remember how much you clung to me after Gozaburo was finally dead. You shook in my arms, crying for everything to stop. I didn't know what to do. It took a lot of trial and error, but I managed to get you better so to speak. I really wish you would smile more."

"Derek."

"I know I know. Shutting up now, but give it a try when he wakes up. I don't want to return here anytime soon so keep an extra eye on him. His wrists will be fine. He didn't cut too deep."

The doctor let himself out while he left a stunned Kaiba standing there. Roland returned after he heard the door shut and tucked Jou in. Handing, Kaiba another blanket, he smiled gently at his employer. "I suppose you'd be sleeping down here."

Kaiba took the blanket. "Thank you, Roland." He took a seat on the loveseat directly across from the couch. He found himself staring at that pale blond while Roland sat down on the chair.

"Get some sleep, Mr. Kaiba. I'll watch over him tonight."

Kaiba nodded and curled up as best as he could on the couch that was much too small for his tall form. Roland watched his employer become more and more comfortable. He knew about his hidden past and felt guilty for not being there during his time of struggles. It was difficult watching him drown in his nightmares every night. At least by having both of them in the same room, he could watch over Jou as much as he could observe Kaiba's slumber.

The next morning, Jou was the first to wake. He felt sore and still extremely tired, but that wasn't anything out of the ordinary. He turned his head and noticed Roland, putting the puzzle together. Roland placed his finger on his lips and pointed over to Kaiba sleeping soundly on the couch. He looked peaceful, but insecure at the same time. The way he was curled up at the couch seemed uncomfortable, but looked like a way he was protecting himself. Jou glanced down at his bandage wrists. "Mr. Kaiba found you and brought you here. His doctor bandage you."

He frowned. "Why is he suddenly caring about me?"

"You and him have similar experiences. And it wasn't suddenly he was caring about you. He was there even when you didn't see him."

"What are you talking about?"

"Quite an expensive jacket for someone not to come back for."

Jou glanced at the bloodstained brown jacket. "He can have it back. I don't need his sympathy."

"I assure you that it didn't have anything to do with sympathy. Mr. Kaiba, unfortunately does not like it when someone is abused."

Jou growled. "Who said I was?"

"I did," Kaiba mumbled. "Don't know how to be quiet do you, Mutt?"

"I appreciate the jacket, but I don't need it. If I needed a jacket, I'd buy one myself."

"With what money? All the money you get from that job went to the alcohol your father bought. Your check is deposited into your account every Thursday night and for the next few days, all transactions are used at local bars and beer distributors. Not once have I seen it used in any market. That would answer the question about your lost of weight and your lack of clothes. Those holey shoes won't do either. Before you leave, I'll have another pair for you."

"I don't need your charity. And, why are you checking on me?"

Kaiba rose from the couch and brushed the tangles in his hair with his fingers. "Roland, could you please have breakfast prepared and allow me to speak with Jou in private."

"Of course, Mr. Kaiba."

Once Roland was out of the room, Kaiba turned back to Jou. "I'm going to share something with you that never leaves this room. If I find out that you've told anyone, I…" Kaiba trailed off. He couldn't think of a threat. "Just, don't tell anyone." The way Kaiba was acting confused Jou. He half expected him to threaten his life, but he didn't. "You and I have had a similar life. Mine though, I can't quite remember too much about it. Recently I've been having nightmares as my memories resurfaced." Kaiba took a deep breath and sat slightly on the edge of the loveseat.

"I made a mistake challenging Gozaburo to that chess match. I thought I was doing right and protecting Mokuba by tricking that man into the game. Well, I did. Mokuba was raised fine, but unfortunately, it made things worse between Gozaburo and I. At first, he pushed me into lessons to make me far more intelligent than I already was. I was taught everything from running a business to constructing computers from scratch. From morning to night, I was taught, quizzed, and worked until I couldn't move anymore. I barely slept, barely ate, but I didn't care about any of that. Mokuba was safe and happy. He played everyday and was barely pushed into any of the studies. Gozaburo was clearly focusing on me."

Jou's features softened. He never thought Kaiba had a terrible childhood. He knew Kaiba was adopted, but he thought Gozaburo just left him alone and gave him everything he needed. "Kaiba…"

He held up his hand. "Not yet. It's only going to get worse. Let me get through this." Kaiba bit his lower lip. "When I turned thirteen a few years before I took over the company, Gozaburo decided it was time to go to the next level. I was learning far more faster than he expected. He was growing bored with my torture. I can't remember everything, but I know that he sent Mokuba away to a boarding school before starting with me. He locked me in someplace dark where my only friends were the mice that found their way in. He'd deliver food, but he never unlocked the chains that secured me to the wall. I tried several times to use my feet to eat, but nothing matter. I don't know how long I was down there. The next memory I had was a bedroom and chains." Kaiba turned his face away from Jou and held his hand over his mouth. He felt like he was going to vomit.

He missed Jou moving and jumped when he felt hands on his knees. "Tell me he didn't."

Kaiba placed his head in his hands. "I don't know what he did. I remembered the pain and humiliation, but I can't remember much of what he did. I don't want to know. I know it happened several times. Eventually Gozaburo committed suicide freeing me from him forever. Derek, the doctor that helped you, never left my side after that. He'd seen the worse in me. He helped me. Just like I'm going to help you."

Jou stared into the blue jewels that he'd never paid attention to before. "I don't need your help."

Kaiba gently pulled Jou's wrists up to him. "I know how it feels to ease the pain with something else." Kaiba ran his fingers along the bandage. "I know you don't want help. I know it's going to be difficult, but some things have to be done even if you really don't want to do it. Tell me what happened."

"It was nothing."

Kaiba shook his head. "It was more than just nothing. Tell me what happened after they kidnapped you. What did they want?"

Jou sat back on his knees thinking about what Kaiba just shared with him. "My father borrowed money from that man. They waited a day for him to come and get me but he never did. He abandoned me. Apparently liquor is more important than I am. That was when they began the beatings, but that wasn't anything I couldn't handle. I've had bones broken before. They thought I knew where my father was hiding and wasn't telling them. It was the third day there that something happened that I couldn't handle. The leader or whoever he was came to me. He was upset that my father never came. He had other plans on getting his money back. He was going to sell me in that club, but he said he didn't want to sell the greatest prize. He wanted that for himself." Jou fought the bile rising from his stomach. Tears rolled down his cheeks before he could even register what was happening. "It hurt so bad. I…" The words remained stuck in his throat. He couldn't spit them out.

Kaiba slid off the couch and wrapped his arms around Jou. "I know it did, but it'll get better. I know you can get through this. You have more passion for life than I do. Don't waste it, Jou." Jou was stunned. He couldn't believe his ears. Kaiba was complementing him. Unashamed by his tears, he cuddled in his rival's arms. He felt safe and protected for the first time in his life. He believed Kaiba's words. Nothing could possible happen that would be worse than this.

* * *

I'm telling you. I'm having difficulty actually stopping a chapter. I remember feeling this joy with writing and it feels great getting back into the swing of things. Thank you all for reading this. Please review.

Angel Dove


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you again for your kind reviews. I greatly appreciate all that you're saying about the story. Thank you so much for loving it. I'll try my best to keep going as fast as possible without losing what I want to with the story. I'm flying through this chapter. It'll be a little shorter than the others only because I'm nearing the end and I don't want to put too much more into each chapter. I'm going to get started right away.

Warnings: Profanity, rape, abuse not descriptive

* * *

Chapter Seven

Jou sat in the living room of Kaiba's mansion, reminiscing on the year that past. Never in his wildest dreams would he imagine Kaiba and him living together. Of course the year wasn't the best. A few weeks after they opened up to each other, Jou found out about his father. True he wasn't father of the year, but he still was his dad. Jou was heart broken and felt guilty for thinking he abandoned him. It was suspected later that he was killed in a drive by shooting a couple blocks away from where the nightclub was the held Jou. Jou found himself cutting more and more, but Kaiba was the light of reason. He made him promise never to cut again and Kaiba himself wouldn't touch more than one glass of alcohol on special occasions and never drink any other time. The two recovered quickly using each other for support. Once Jou's father was released from police custody, Kaiba spared no expense for the funeral. All were invited who wished to come and the wake was held at the mansion. That was when his mother confronted him. She wanted him to move in and leave Domino behind. Legally she had every right to uproot him even with his protest, but Jou didn't want to leave. He liked his high school and hanging with his friends, but most of all Jou developed strange feelings for Kaiba. After some persuasion, Jou finally convinced his mother into letting him stay. He was going to get his own apartment, but Kaiba refused and told him to move in immediately.

Jou smiled as he closed his notebook. Graduation was long gone and college was closing in. Of course, Kaiba would only be attending for a few classed each semester. Now that his obligations to the legal system was fulfilled, he could focus on running his company. Jou barely saw the man he was falling for. They didn't share any classes next semester since Kaiba was a business major and Jou found himself studying writing. He wanted to be both a journalist and author. A major that really didn't suit someone like him, but he had the passion. He found himself lost in his stories at various times of the day. His dream was to publish a book about what he went through in order to inspire hope to everyone that reads it. He wanted to let everyone know that happiness comes to everyone even if they have to struggle for it. Jou glanced at the clock. He wondered where Kaiba was. Ten o'clock at night wasn't late for the obsessive CEO, but he was gone since early this morning. Jou sighed and curled up on the couch, choosing to ignore the television that Mokuba left on for him before he went to bed and opened a book instead.

Kaiba reviewed the last budget report and signed it. He knew that he was spending all his free time at work, but he couldn't bare being in the house with Jou. Over the past few months, his attraction for the blond tripled. He was afraid that he'd do something stupid that would hurt their relationship. He didn't expect Jou to have the same feelings that Kaiba had. Placing his head on his desk, Kaiba found his thought circling around Jou. He didn't even know if Jou was fully recovered from his rape yet. He knew that it took him years to recover and to this day Kaiba still had trouble with people touching him, but he did love the gentle brushes Jou accidentally made when they passed each other in the hall, or when Jou would fall asleep reading a book on the couch and slip his head against his shoulder while he worked on his laptop. Everything was becoming more and more difficult.

The midnight clock chimed twelve. Kaiba sighed and reached for his briefcase. He was sure Jou would be asleep by now and Kaiba could sneak in and out with him not even knowing it. The drive home was fast with no cars on the road. He parked the Porsche in the lot before entering into the house through the side door. He set his keys on the small table and the briefcase directly beside it. His tie was the first thing to go, hanging loosely around his neck. He walked by the living room, noticing the light was still on and hearing the television. Curious on who would still be awake, Kaiba walked into the room. He stopped and gasped at how Jou laid on the couch. One of his legs fell off the couch, and the book he was obviously reading rested on his chest. He smiled and took the book off Jou, marking his place. Kaiba ran his fingers along Jou's cheek before gently lifting his leg, using the extra time to slide his hand the entire length of his leg. "You can caress me all day, Seto, and I wouldn't mind," Jou moaned.

"How did you know it was me and not some random stranger?"

"First off the guy would have to be high and smarter than you to break in and you always have that gentle touch." Kaiba chuckled as Jou sat up. "I'm tired of playing this game." Jou was finally determined to figure out if Kaiba had the same feelings as him. He knew that Kaiba would probably not hurt him and just bring him down gently.

"What game is that, Jou?" Even though Jou and Kaiba were close friends he never wanted Kaiba to ever call him Katsuya. That was never a name he favored.

Jou leaned forward and gently kissed the stunned CEO. It took him a few seconds to comprehend what happened. His body relaxed and he wrapped his arms around Jou, returning the kiss. Everything felt at ease. He no longer feared rejection. Clearly Jou felt the same. "How long?" Jou asked breaking the kiss.

"Too long."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Fear and I didn't want to push you."

"You're too kind."

"Others would call that a lie."

"That's because you never show them the other side of you."

"Easier to run a business that way."

Jou laughed and pulled Seto up on the couch. "Let's sleep here."

Kaiba sighed. "I prefer not to be spotted by Mokuba in that predicament. My bedroom would be fine."

"I don't feel like moving," Jou whined.

Kaiba picked him up and carried him the two flights to his bedroom while the blond chuckled. He gently laid Jou down on the soft mattress before undressing to his boxers and slipping under the covers. Jou did the same before wrapping his arms around Kaiba. Everything felt peaceful.

When Jou awoke the next morning, Kaiba was already gone leaving only a note inviting him to lunch that day. Smiling, Jou ran down to his room to take a quick shower and picking out one of his better clothes that Kaiba bought for him. He considered calling Roland for a ride, but he hadn't walked anywhere in awhile. He glanced out the window noticing a bright blue sky with no signs of snow. It'll be a cold walk, but he was willing to do it.

Jou moved swiftly through the streets, knowing that Kaiba would be waiting for whenever he showed up. He stood waiting for the signal to change to walk when a man walked up behind him. Something sharp was pressed against his back. "Walk to that alleyway across the street. Keep it casual, or I'll go after your boyfriend."

Jou didn't know who it was that could possible know that he had a boyfriend and not a girlfriend. Jou did as he was told not taking the chance to glance back. Once in the alleyway the man wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled Jou against him. Jou shuttered and felt sick. "I missed that ass. I should have just kept you for myself." Fear struck Jou. Now, he recognized that voice.

"What do you want?" He tried to move away, but the man held him firmly in place.

"I should have known that rich snob wasn't one of us. You're going to do a little job for me. I want the million dollars he paid for you hand delivered to me."

"You already got your money." Jou hissed as the knife was brought up to his neck.

"I got what your father owed me. Now I want you price. If you don't do what I say, I'll tell your precious lover how much you enjoyed being fucked by me. How you pushed back against my thrusts, and the dirty moans you made. All of that while I fuck exactly like I did to you."

Jou stood frozen unable to process what this man was saying. He felt sick to his stomach as memories slammed to the surface. He knew what he had to do. He'll never let anything happen to Kaiba even if it meant risking their new found relationship. Jou nodded, not trusting his voice. "Good boy." The man slipped his hand into Jou's pocket, brushing a little too far to the right for Jou's comfort. "The address is in your pocket. I expect to have it tonight before five."

The guy pushed Jou away before running out of the alleyway. Not bothering to stick around, Jou took off towards Kaiba Corp. He had to act normal. Kaiba was smart and easy at reading him if he wasn't too careful. He took Kaiba's private elevator up and entered into the office, knowing full well that no one would stop him. "What's wrong, Jou? You didn't have to run here." Kaiba sat behind his desk, wearing a plum shirt with his black jacket, hanging on the coat rake by the door.

"I didn't want you waiting for me," Jou lied. At first Kaiba didn't believe him, but he sighed anyway and got up for his jacket.

"Italian okay?"

"Sound delicious." Jou followed his new lover out of the office, attempting to stop his body from shaking. He wasn't too hungry at that moment, but knew he had to eat only to keep Kaiba in the dark. "I'm sorry," Jou thought over and over again, but nothing could stop the depressing thoughts from entering his mind. The meal was quiet and quick. Kaiba didn't push Jou any further than a simple talk. He knew something was wrong, but he let it go. After the two separated, Jou ran quickly back to the mansion. He knew that he didn't have much time left. Opening up Kaiba's private safe, Jou counted out the money he needed, guilt washed all over him, but he couldn't risk Kaiba's safety. He was sure that Kaiba would notice that much money missing even though it was a small chunk out of it.

Jou ran with the heavy bag to the address on the piece of paper. He had all intentions of dropping the money and running, but he should have known it wouldn't be that simple. The second he entered the half burnt down building, the man grabbed him by his arms and pushed him to the ground. "What are you doing? I brought you the money."

"Who said I just wanted money?"

The man grabbed his hips and cut a hole in Jou's pants, not caring about how comfortable he was or what Jou would look like later. He thrust into him quickly erupting a scream of pain from Jou. Tears ran down his cheeks as it happened again. He couldn't handle it. His mind shut down and he felt nothing. He couldn't believe how stupid he was. He got himself into this mess and now he'll pay the ultimate price. Kaiba would abandoned him and hate him for life. He had nothing left. After the man finished, he continued to lie there on the dusty floor not caring if anyone ever found him again.

After the sun went down, Jou finally got up and started his slow walk back to the mansion. Upon entering the house, he noticed that Kaiba nor Mokuba were there. Roland walked into the hallway. "There are out looking for you. Are you okay, Mr. Jounouchi?"

"Yes. Call them and tell them I'm home please. I'm going to bed. I don't feel right."

"Yes, sir. Will you be needing anything?" Roland didn't believe him. Something was causing Jou to act scared. Not to mention the slight limp in Jou's steps. All of which he was going to inform Kaiba about when he came home.

"No. And, Roland, just call me Jou." Jou walked up the stairs until he reached the floor that Jou's room was on. He stripped his destroyed pants off, seeing that they with blood on it. He frowned and hid them under the mattress, knowing better than to leave them out in the open. Kaiba's maids would bring them right to his attention and that's the last thing he needed. Falling asleep quickly, Jou didn't bother to put any clothes on and hid underneath the blanket.

* * *

Three chapters left. I'll have the next chapter up as quick as possible. Thank you for reading please review.

Angel Dove


	8. Chapter 8

Another short chapter. Or I should say shorter than the other ones. Two more chapters are left after this one. I just think I'm running out of ideas. Thank you all for your reviews. I'm going to get this started right away. Not much going on in life, but I've been working on these chapters quickly and everyday in order to get them out as quick as possible.

Warnings: None in this one.

* * *

Chapter Eight

Kaiba walked back into the mansion a half hour after Jou returned. "You said he didn't look well?"

"He seemed scared and blank. His shirt was a bit dirty, but that doesn't concern me. He had a slight limp, Mr. Kaiba."

Kaiba turned to his brother. "Can you please excuse us and don't go into Jou's room tonight?"

"I understand. I will leave him be."

Kaiba ruffled his hair and walked towards his study. "You said when he returned after lunch he went in here."

"Yes, sir. I didn't see what he did, but when he left he had a book bag of something."

Kaiba paled and walked over to the safe, opening it. He did trust Jou to know the combination of the safe in case of emergencies, but he never suspected him to steal money, especially since Kaiba would give him anything. Kaiba began counting the money and frowned. "A million dollars is missing. Someone threatened him. It makes sense. The way he was quiet and looked as if someone scared him. The exchange must not have went well if he's injured. Roland, keep this between us. I'll find out what happened."

Kaiba shut the safe and walked quietly up to Jou's bedroom. He didn't want to startle the blond, but he had to know what was going on. To threaten Jou with something it must have something to do with him or Jou's family. He was sure Jou wouldn't bend and he wasn't to sure what to make of Jou's behavior. His chest was bruised so he knew that his lover didn't get into a fight. Jou twitched in his sleep obviously from a nightmare that he couldn't break himself from. He walked quietly down to his study. Jou hadn't had nightmares for a few months now. Someone threatening Jou could be the only explanation to the way he was acting. Sitting down at his desk, Kaiba searched the security system. He watched as Jou took the money, but Jou was paler than at lunch. He kept checking his watch and left a half hour before five. He fast forward past his return home and leaving again with Mokuba until he reached when Jou arrived back at the mansion. Jou approached the gates cautiously, limping with each step and his head bowed defeated. He'd have to watch him more closely for the next few days.

Jou sat awake in his bed for several hours after Kaiba left. His body began to heal, and he noticed the slight blood on the sheets. Groaning, Jou rose to fetch new sheets that were directly outside his room. He wrapped the sheets and his destroyed pants up and hid them in the back of his closet for the time being. Stretching, Jou moved over to the bathroom. He felt dirty and wanted to wash away his pain and suffering. The water burned his skin before he reluctantly let it cool down. The shower was quick and left more to be desired, but it was enough to help him fall back to sleep. He hated lying to Kaiba, but he couldn't come to grip with everything that happened.

For the next few days, Jou lived in his bedroom. He only left to sneak food into his room when he couldn't ignore the hanger pains any longer. He didn't see Kaiba after the night he found out about the money. Jou sighed as he started at the long knife he stole from the kitchen. His thoughts swam around the promise he made Seto to fear that the million dollars wasn't enough and he'd return for Jou. His life edged on destruction or salvation. A decision only he could make. He stared out the open window to his room. Even though it was in the middle of winter, Jou welcomed the cold air.

A knock sounded at Jou's door. Kaiba entered a few seconds later, his emotions masked as always. He walked over to the window and shut it. "If it was too warm in here, I could turn the heat down."

"I didn't want all of you to freeze."

Kaiba sighed and sat down on the bed, ignoring his comment about not wanting them to freeze. Of course they wouldn't if he turned it down slightly. "Did you want to eat dinner with me tonight?"

The small plea in Kaiba's voice melted Jou. He acted as if Jou was angry with him and he was treading cautiously. He nodded gently. The two walked quietly through the hallways until they arrived at the large mahogany table. Two places were set, making Jou wonder where Mokuba was. "He's at a friend's house tonight," Kaiba answered before Jou could ask. Jou sat down smelling the delicious aroma of spaghetti cooking in the kitchen. Kaiba poured Jou a glass of milk and handed it to him.

Jou took a sip and smiled gently at Kaiba. "How is the business?"

"Going well. Are you feeling better?"

"A little. Still tired, but getting better," Jou lied. He felt strangely tired suddenly as if he didn't sleep all day. His eyes stung and he blinked them several times, trying to keep himself awake.

Kaiba smiled at Jou as dinner was served. He noticed the struggle that Jou was having keeping his eyes open and was pleased that the sleeping pills were enough to knock him out. Of course he asked Derek several times on the best solution. He didn't want to hurt Jou and knew that he wouldn't tell him what was really going on. He hated having to resort to trickery. "Are you excited about starting college next month."

"I suppose as excited as going to high school." Jou yawned. "Sorry, I guess I'm more tired than I thought I was." Within a second, Jou slipped down, and his head crashed against the table.

Kaiba winced from the sound, but he didn't seemed surprised as he rose from his seat and looked at his maid. "Could you pack that away for tomorrow, please?" Kaiba approached Jou and gently rolled his sleeves up not seeing any new cuts only the old ones that were already healed over. He smiled and gently wrapped his arms securely around him. He was delighted that Jou hadn't cut himself again. He feared that he'd see long cuts lined his arms after hearing that one of his knives where missing. At least that solved one of the problems that were arising in the past few days. He carried Jou back upstairs to his room and laid him down on the bed. After gently tucking his lover in, Kaiba slipped in beside him and held him close. He knew that the sleeping pill that Jou gave him would keep him asleep for the rest of the night, but he wanted him to wake next to Kaiba so that he could keep a better eye on him.

The next morning came too quickly for Kaiba. He wasn't able to find slumber land that night. Jou woke a few hours after dawn broke over the horizon. He moaned softly and curled up against Kaiba. "This is nice," he whispered.

Kaiba smiled and ran his fingers through his hair. "I think it's time you talk to me."

He rolled over. "Leave it to you to spoil something like having my lover in the bed next to me when I woke in the morning."

"I know there's a knife missing. Truthfully, I'm scared. I don't want to lose you."

Jou stared into the concerned blue eyes watching his every move. "I didn't do it. I took the knife. Considered it, but didn't do it."

"I know. I checked your arms last night."

"You gave me a sleeping pill."

"I'm sorry, but I had to know."

"It's okay." Jou wasn't angry that Kaiba didn't trust his word. Lately he didn't give Kaiba anything to trust him with. He did feel a little bad that Kaiba wouldn't ask him first.

Jou remained quiet and that hurt Kaiba even more. He needed to know what was going on with Jou and help him through it. "Please tell me what happened, and why you needed the money."

Jou shook his head. "Back on that again. Why can't you let it go?"

"If it was because you were threatened, do you honestly think that person is going to let you go now that he or she has the money?"

"He said he only wanted the money."

"That's not all he took is it?"

Jou growled and got off the bed. "Why don't you just say it?"

"Say what?"

"Tell me to leave. Find some place else to live. Tell me that you hate me because I went right for the money instead of talking to you about it."

"Why do you think I'm going to tell you that? I'd never kick you out for taking money. Jou, I care too much about you. I knew that you wouldn't just take the money for your own selfish needs. I knew it had to do with someone either threatening you or me or even your family. Tell me what happened."

"He showed up again. He said he only wanted the money that was used to pay for me. He told me to bring it by five that night. I brought it, and he still wanted more. He still wanted to…to…" Jou growled and threw his hands up in the air. "Who cares anyway."

Kaiba wrapped his arms around Jou's waist and pulled him close. He felt horrible that he couldn't protect Jou from this man again. He vowed vengeance on that man and knew that he was going to have to kill him in order set Jou free of everything. "I care. I care what happens to you. I'm so sorry that it happened again. I know there's nothing I could do for you. I want to help you. Tell me what he threaten you with."

"He was going to come after you. I couldn't let that happened. Not with how much you went through when you were a kid. A million dollars seemed such a small price to pay in order to keep you safe even if it meant losing you. I delivered the money right on time, and he pushed me to the ground. He didn't hurt me like he did the first time. It seemed like he was in too much of hurry and only wanted a piece of my ass. Why would he do that? It made no sense. The first time was so much worse."

Kaiba led Jou back over to bed and pushed him down on the bed. "Men like him have no reason for what they do. Anything you need. I'll do it. I'm not going to leave you, Jou, but I think it's time we finished what we started."

Jou grabbed Kaiba's arm. "Don't. Just drop it. I don't want to put you in danger."

"Like I said. He's not going to be satisfied with just that money. He'll come back for you. I'm not going to let you become his victim again." Kaiba ran his fingers through Jou's hair. "How about we both stay home today?"

"Promise me you won't go after him. I know you can probably arrange a hit on him or knowing your personality you'd go yourself. Please, Seto, don't go after him. He's dangerous, and I don't want him doing what he did to me to you."

Kaiba lied on the bed. "You know me too well, but right about now I want to sleep unless you want to talk about this like we did the first time."

Jou shook his head. "You can go to sleep. For some odd reason, my mind seems to be doing better this time. Maybe it's because I know I have you. Seto, stay away from him and stay close to me."

Kaiba smiled and pulled Jou close. "I can't promise that. If he does come back after you, he's dead. You know that right? But regardless I'm never leaving you."

"Yes, I realize that, but I don't want to lose you to the justice system. Don't kill anyone."

Kaiba kissed Jou. "Rest now, Jou. Everything will be okay." For an instant Jou wanted to believe Kaiba, but he knew as well as everyone that Kaiba wouldn't simply let it go. He knew that the man that kidnapped and raped him would be dead the second Kaiba found him. He slightly prayed that Kaiba never found that man. He didn't want something happening to the one person he truly cared for. Holding Kaiba as close as he could, Jou refused to fall asleep even though his lover has long since fallen asleep. He feared that when he woke, Kaiba would be covered in blood or gone only to never see him again. He refused to sleep and leave Kaiba alone even if that meant attaching himself to Kaiba with a pair of unbreakable handcuffs.

* * *

Sorry that this was a little dry and may seem a little fast, but I didn't want it too boring of a chapter. Thank you for reading please review.

Angel Dove


	9. Chapter 9

And here we go with the second to last chapter. I want to thank you all for your kind reviews. I'm glad everyone is liking this story. This was going to be the last chapter originally, but I think I'll add one more only because you all are being very nice to me. I'll update the last chapter sometime tomorrow as soon as I can get it up. Anyway let's get this chapter started.

Warnings: Violence and semi-torture

* * *

Chapter Nine

The next morning Kaiba awoke to find that Jou surrendered to the slumber that was calling him. He frowned at how pale Jou had gotten with his lack of nutrients. He didn't want to go back in time. Jou was finally healing, but he knew that the only way to calm his fear was to ease the thing he feared the most. The problem was trying to find this man and destroy him before Jou noticed. Kaiba reached over for the pad and pen that sat next to the phone on the nightstand. He scribbled a quick note asking Jou to join him for breakfast and informed him that he'd be working from home today. Kaiba rose carefully. He needed some time to research that despicable man. He managed to sneak out of the room and down to his study without waking Jou. The first thing that he did was calling his secretary informing her that he would not be in today and to cancel all his meetings. Kaiba had three that day, but right at that moment, Jou was number one. He paged Roland to his office before searching through his security cameras. Roland came in carrying Kaiba's usual cup of coffee, setting it down next to the computer screen. "Thank you," Kaiba replied, taking a few sips. "Did you find anything?"

"Mimi informed me that while she was tending the garden a few days ago she spotted a tall man, standing by the back gate. When she approached him he ran off. I'm sure the back camera would have gotten a good image of him."

Kaiba switched the security to search. "What day?"

"Monday around two in the afternoon. This would have been the day before whatever happened to Mr. Jounouchi."

"That guy who kidnapped him was back. He demanded Jou to bring him one million dollars. When he did, he raped him again, but Jou isn't reacting like he did last time thankfully. He did have a knife, but never used it."

"We need to get this guy," Roland hissed.

"Agreed, but Jou wants me to let it go." Kaiba chuckled. "He should have known I'd never just let something like this go." Stopping the disk at the right time, Kaiba saw the man staring through the barred gate with his back turned to the hidden camera in the tree he stood in front of. Kaiba switched to the camera by the garden and zoomed it, retrieving a good image of the kidnapper. He printed the image and handed it to Roland. "Any connections you have or favors you can pull. I want his location."

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba." Roland bowed and left the study a mere few seconds later. He knew Kaiba never had to tell him what to do. He was going to find this man even if it meant strangling every man that was in that night club. He'd try the police first, knowing a few detectives that owed him some favors. If this guy was a criminal, he was sure that the man would have a record. He needed a name first. A name that he could etch on a tombstone.

Kaiba stared at the image for the longest time. He trusted Roland to find the information he needed. Clicking off the security system, Kaiba decided to check his e-mail and at least pretend he was working. He managed to answer all the e-mails and work on a few reports before Jou walked into the study. "Good morning," he commented casually saving all his progress.

"Morning," Jou mumbled back.

"How about some lunch since we are closer to noon?"

Jou shrugged. He wasn't too hungry, but he knew he had to eat. Kaiba wouldn't take no for an answer. Kaiba walked over and kissed Jou's cheek. "What's the matter?"

"Still sleeping I suppose."

"Do you need me to call Derek?"

Jou shook his head. He was grateful for Kaiba's doctor, but he didn't want to talk about what happened just yet. He felt dirty, but he knew deep down that everything was going to be okay. It seemed like what Derek drilled into his head almost a year ago was reminding him that rape is a horrible act on a person, but that doesn't mean it's the end of life. He recovered once, and he was sure he could do it again. He smiled slyly at Kaiba who bent down to shut his computer off. He had a very attractive lover to help him through this. He pinched himself for the sudden thought and followed Kaiba down to the dining room. "You're not going to drug me again," Jou commented as he watched Kaiba blushed slightly.

"No, but sorry about that."

Jou laughed. "I mean you could if you think that would be kinkier." Jou instantly covered his mouth and stared at the frozen CEO. "I didn't mean to say that."

Kaiba was shocked that Jou would even suggest sex games so soon after his rape so casually. It shocked him speechless. "Are you okay? Maybe you're in denial."

"Seto, I just think that our relationship shouldn't be hurt by this."

"I don't think you're handling this well. I mean I didn't want to be close to anyone after Gozaburo hurt me even if it was just a beating."

"Seto, please let me handle it on my own. I want to prove to myself that I can overcome things on my own without you backing me. I love you, but please let me do this."

Kaiba smiled and held the chair back for him to sit down first. "That's the Jou I know. How could I resist you when you ask so nicely?" The lunch was quiet and consisted of a variety of finger sandwiches, salad, and fresh fruit for dessert. The two talked quietly about Kaiba Corp and what they thought about the new college. Kaiba didn't push Jou and further. He could tell that even though Jou was smiling, he was still thinking about what happened a few days ago.

After lunch Kaiba returned to the study, finishing all the reports while Jou sat on the black leather couch across from his desk, reading a book. The phone rang just as Kaiba opened his e-mail account again. "Kaiba."

"I found him, Mr. Kaiba."

"Oh?" Kaiba snuck a look at Jou before staring at the screen.

"Is he in the room with you?"

"Yes."

"Okay. The man's name is Hiro Takashi. He lives not too far from the nightclub that you found Mr. Jounouchi in. I just verified the address and saw him inside. What are my orders, sir."

Kaiba smirked. "Don't do anything. I'll be right there."

"Understood. The house is on Sakura street. I'm parked two blocks away."

"Okay. I'll be right there." Kaiba glanced up at Jou. "Something is going wrong with one of the gaming systems. I'm going to head down there for a few hours to fix it. When I get back, we'll have pizza and a movie. How is that? Mokuba is staying with his friend for the rest of the week."

"Oh, okay. Can I choose the movie?"

"Sure." Kaiba grabbed his jacket and kissed Jou goodbye. "See you soon." Kaiba just about ran out of the door. Vengeance rolled through his skin along with images of what he'd do to this Hiro guy for arming his Jou not once but twice. He used the GPS in his car to locate Roland's exact position. He pulled over a few blocks away from him and walked the rest of the way.

Leaning against the passenger side of the car, Kaiba heard Roland rolling down the window. "He's alone right about now, but I don't know for how long."

"Then I suggest we hurry. Which house?"

"The beige and light blue one with the white picket fence. Kaiba nodded and started walking toward it.

He didn't bother knocking or hiding his approach. He kicked the door in with enough force that knocked it halfway off the hinges. He heard someone yelling profanities from a few rooms down. Walking quickly and moving into the room blocking Hiro's retreat, Hiro smirked and crossed his arms. "Looks like rich boy didn't like me playing with his toy again." Kaiba glared not giving him the stratification of a replay. "What's this? Cat got your tongue?"

Within a second, Kaiba slammed the man against the wall. "No one touches what is mine."

"Okay, okay. You can have the money back," the man stuttered too concerned with saving his own life.

"What made you think I cared about the money?"

"I'll never go after him again. I swear."

"Now you're getting closer. Unfortunately, I want compensation for the damage you did."

"Sure anything you want."

Kaiba smirked. "Anything, huh?" Roland walked up behind Kaiba and handed him a knife. "Let's see. The damage done to Jou cost a fortune to fix. I think I know just what to do to you." Kaiba released the man before turning the knife downward and with one swift motion, he sliced opened the man's pants and cut his penis off. The man screamed and fell on the floor, blood rushing out of the wound. Kaiba reached down for the lifeless member. He turned the man around and shoved it into the man's anal. Not finished with his torture, he dragged the man over to a chair and tied him to it, forcing him to sit on it, pushing it further inside of him. "If you live, I don't want to ever see you near my house, my lover, my company, or myself. If you do come near us, I'll do more than change your gender. Don't even bother telling the police that I did this. They would never believe you"

Kaiba left, making sure to take the knife with him. Roland dialed the police and informed them about a man's scream being heard near the address they just left. "Thank you, Roland," Kaiba said, walking back to his car. He drove quickly to his office and took the private elevator that lead directly to his office. He knew that his secretary wouldn't be there anymore and quietly snuck into his office, purposely avoiding all cameras. He didn't want proof of the blood on him. After washing himself off, and putting the knife back into his collection, Kaiba burned his clothes that he was wearing in the bathtub, washing away the ashes and started back home.

Kaiba walked back into the house a few hours after he left. Jou sat in the living room, holding up an action movie. Kaiba laughed. "I should have figured you'd want to watch something with a lot of action and shooting."

"What happened to the clothes you were wearing when you left?"

"Grease and oil spilt all over them. I sent them to the cleaners and got new clothes from my office."

"So, Mr. CEO himself does do dirty work."

Kaiba smacked him in the head after he put the movie in. "You know that I couldn't let someone else work on something that I'd do better on my own."

"Of course." Jou leaned against Kaiba and walked the movie while his lover ordered pizza and waited for it. They were halfway through the movie before Roland walked in, carrying the pizza. He informed them that he met the delivery boy on the way in. Kaiba offered some of the pizza to Roland who took a few pieces and sat enjoying the movie with him. Kaiba felt more at ease and enjoyed the movie better than he ever had in his life. Everything felt like it should be.

* * *

Alright. That's the end of that chapter. One more chapter to go. I should have it up as soon as possible. Thank you for reading please review.

Angel Dove


	10. Chapter 10

Welcome everyone to the bonus chapter for all those who love Kaiba/Jou fics. I'm dedicating this one to all of you. I greatly appreciate your kind reviews and wish to give this to you for a special thank you gift. I'm happy I got a great welcome back after going for so long with stories that I wasn't happy with to this story that I'm falling in love with. I do not know when or where my next story will appear. I have a few other stories in mind for other animes but keep a watch if you like my stories. More likely it'll be sometime in May when I have a vacation from work YAY. Anyway let's get this started.

Warnings: If you do not like yaoi what are you doing in this story. For all those who love yaoi and Kaiba/Jou scenes enjoy it's more graphic than I normally do.

* * *

Chapter Ten

Jou sat on the comfortable blue couch in the living room. He closed his notebook on the final short story for his book. College was a great resource for the countless critiques he received and useful ideas on how to finalize the book. He only finished one semester, and he found one book done to his picky stratification. Jou glanced up at the clock. It was four in the afternoon. He smile and ran into the kitchen. He gave the chef off so he could create a special dinner for just the two of them. He felt bad sending Mokuba to his friend's house again, but he just smiled and wished Jou luck. Sometimes Jou hated how intelligent the kid was. The dinner didn't take too long. It was nothing to extravagant, simple good old American hamburgers with the fixings and a special side dish of homemade fries with added spices that Jou created. He just finished making everything when he heard Kaiba's keys hit the table by the door. He smiled to himself, lighting the last candle around the table. "What are you doing?" Kaiba whispered, wrapping his arms around his lover.

Jou turned slightly to give Kaiba a peck on the cheek. "It is officially one year since we started our relationship with nothing getting in our way."

"You mean since we admitted for the first time that we loved each other. We wouldn't have gotten here if that Hiro didn't get what he deserved. Gruesome way to go."

Jou smacked him in the chest. "You'll ruin our special dinner talking like that."

Kaiba looked over Jou's shoulder, staring at the food. "You call that special."

Jou growled and tried to pull away from the laughing CEO. "Well excuse me for not being able to make anything better than that."

Kaiba stopped laughing and pulled his angry lover closer. "Alright, I'm sorry, but if you wanted something special why didn't you ask the chef?"

"I wanted to make it."

Kaiba sat down across from Jou. "This isn't drugged is it?"

"I don't know. It might be kinkier if I drugged you up." Jou smirked, remembering that conversation very clearly even though it was several months ago.

"How about we skip dinner and go for whatever else you have planned?"

"What makes you think I have something else?" Jou chewed on a fry, staring at Kaiba's alluring blue eyes.

"You don't go through the trouble of having a special dinner and making sure no one was around for nothing."

"I was thinking about a movie afterwards."

"Okay," Kaiba agreed, hiding his frown behind the hamburger he picked up. It had been several long months. The two would never get any further than simple kisses or cuddling. Kaiba knew that Jou needed time to recover, and he was going to give him every opportunity even if it meant countless nights of cold showers. Dinner wasn't like eating at a four star restaurant, but it was special to Kaiba since Jou made it.

After putting the dishes in the dishwasher, Jou led Kaiba into the living room. He felt delighted that Kaiba expected more than a movie but didn't push Jou until he felt his lover was ready. He loved Kaiba for that. After placing in Jou's favorite movie, one he could say line by line, Jou sat on the couch leaning against Kaiba's chest who sat long ways on the couch with his legs spread. Kaiba held no interest in the movie. He spent half the time running his fingers through Jou's hair and the other half running his hands up and down Jou's arm.

He just finished his route back up to his lover's hair when he felt soft fingers caressing the inside of his thigh. Kaiba bit back a moan and shifted so his growing problem wouldn't be felt on Jou's back. Jou smirked, knowing full well what Kaiba was doing. He shifted himself backwards, brushing his back against Kaiba's groin, feeling it hardening to the friction. The CEO finally unleashed a moan and held Jou in place. "If you keep that up, I'm not going to be able to stop," he whispered in his lover's ear.

Shivers ran down Jou's spine, loving the deep, breathy voice by his ear. "Who said I wanted you to stop?" Jou flipped around and wrapped his legs around Kaiba's waist, pulling their lower bodies together. Kaiba felt Jou's strained erection causing the billionaire to completely lose it. Before he knew it, he was kissing his blond lover all over the place. Shucking on his neck, he claimed Jou to be his for all eternity. No one was going to take him without suffering Kaiba's wrath.

Jou moaned moving his head to the side, allowing Kaiba more skin to suck on. He brought his hands around Kaiba's back and pulled him close. "Right here. Right now, Seto."

"Not very romantic." Jou pinched his back and grinded his groin with Kaiba's. "Fine then, but you're too clothed."

Jou snickered, tearing his and Kaiba's clothes off with record speeds. Their bodies melted together as cool sweat began to roll down their bodies. He reached his hand down playing with Jou's length as he sucked on his nipples, pulling cries of ecstasy from his lover. Jou pleaded for more, faster. Kaiba smiled evilly enjoying the slow torture of their first time together. Jou reached between the couch cushions and brought out a bottle of cherry smelling lubricant that he bought early. "Prepared?" Kaiba laughed. Jou leaned forward, licking Kaiba's neck. He pulled away from Jou. "No this is about you tonight. Relax."

Kaiba gently pushed Jou down against the soft cushions, placing his button down white shirt underneath them. He ran his fingers through Jou's hair as he slipped down further in between his legs. His lips kissed butterfly kisses along his stomach before Kaiba wrapped them around Jou's length. Jou gasped, instantly placing his hands in Kaiba's hair. Everything felt better than he imagined. Kaiba's tongue slip along the underside of his member before twirling along the head and repeating between sucks. His body twitched as he came closer and closer to his release, but Kaiba denied him that, releasing his member and returning up to kiss Jou. Slipping his tongue into Jou's mouth, he deepened the kiss distracting the blond momentarily as he probed Jou's entrance. He slipped a slick finger inside, earning him a hiss of discomfort. "Breath slowly. It'll get better I promise."

Jou nodded, trusting Kaiba to do what he needed to do. He planned to face all his fears and allowed his lover to dominate him. It was time for their relationship to take that step. His lover had been more than patient with him. Kaiba's finger brushed something inside of him that caused him to jerk and moan. Kaiba smirked as he kissed Jou again, moving his finger along Jou's prostate each time. Jou melted, instantly relaxing enough for Kaiba to add another finger. He scissor Jou, stretching him more. Slight pain rolled through Jou's body, but it was small compared to the pleasure. By the time a third finger was added, Jou was pleading for Kaiba to stop the torture and just pound him into the couch. Tempted, Kaiba resisted, making sure Jou was fully stretched before he removed his finger.

Jou leaned up and kissed his lover as Kaiba lined himself up with his entrance. "Breath slowly and try to relax." Kaiba pushed slowly, feeling Jou's body tense at first around him, but soon relaxed. He remained still, feeling the heat radiating around his groin. Once Jou relaxed fully he began to thrust in and out. Slow at first but gradually picking up speed. Every thrust in unleashed a new moan from his blond lover. At the point everything felt at peace and nothing could bother the two lovers. Kaiba felt himself nearing completion as he reached between them and stroked Jou with each thrust. The pleasure was too much for Jou, and it didn't take himself long to climax, smearing his essence along their stomachs. The walls tightened around Kaiba's length, pulling him over the edge as well.

The two basined in the glow of their love making, breathing heavily with sweat all over their bodies. Kaiba pulled out gently wiping himself and Jou clean with his shirt. "You'll ruin that," Jou mumbled.

"That's why I have a dry cleaning membership."

Jou laughed, wrapping his arms around Kaiba, pulling him down for another kiss. "Thank you."

"Anything for my little puppy."

Jou smacked him and smiled. "If I'm your puppy then you're my dragon."

"I could live with that." Jou hid a yawn behind his hand. "Let's go to bed, Puppy."

"Okay, Dragon." Jou laughed as Kaiba not only picked Jou up, but their clothes as well.

"You need to lose weight. Too many snacks."

Jou smacked the brunet in the arm. "Then put me down."

He leaned down and kissed him again. "It's okay. I like you right where you are."

Kaiba managed to open the door to their room while still balancing Jou in his arms. He laid Jou down on the bed that they shared for the past few months. "I love you, Seto, my heavenly dragon."

"I love you, too."

"Oh I forgot. I never got to thank you for that perfect ending to Hiro." Jou knew the second he saw that man's death in the newspaper that Kaiba went after him. After he was angry that his lover would not listen to him, but after a few days of thinking about it, Jou became comfortable with the fact that Jou would defend him like that. It made him feel special.

"What are you talking about?"

"Only my dragon would think to shove a guy's own penis up his ass."

Kaiba laughed, not shocked that Jou knew what happened to Hiro. He knew that Jou was intelligent and he couldn't hid it from him forever. He shrugged. "He deserved it."

Jou smacked him again. "That's for not listening to me." Jou kissed Kaiba on the cheek. "And that's to make you promise me you won't do that again."

"Can't."

"Why not?"

"Nobody hurts my puppy."

Jou sighed and melted into him. "Thanks, but I can fight my own battles."

"I know. That's why I hope you'll kill anyone that comes after me."

Jou laughed. "Anything for my fire breathing dragon. If Gozaburo was still alive, I'd kill him myself."

Kaiba smiled and pulled Jou closer, kissing him gently. "Thanks, Jou. Good night, love."

"Anytime. Night." Jou pulled the covers up and snuggled close to Kaiba. He knew that this was only the beginning of his wonderful life. He knew that there would be ups and downs, but as long as he had Kaiba, everything would be okay.

* * *

YAY! And how about that happy ending. I hope you all liked that chapter. Thank you all for sticking with me and reading this to the complete end. Please review.

Angel Dove


End file.
